Mallards Farm

Mallards Farm cherries

Mallards Farm Market Garden sells a wide range of own grown products through its own shop at Waterham. This is supplemented with high quality fruit and vegetables bought where possible, direct from other local producers. Alistair is the character who runs the whole operation and well worth talking to particularly on the subject of seasonal produce. The information below is written by Alistair:

My philosophy is to offer the consumer a high standard of produce grown using a combination of ‘Old Fashioned’ and ‘Modern’ rotation, cultivation and irrigation techniques. This reduces the intensity and cuts down on chemical use.

History

The Market Garden sits on the side of Monks Hill. It is believed that this land formed part of the Monastic gardens and has probably been cultivated since Saxon times.

My Grandfather, Arthur Barton bought Little Waterham and Mallards Farms after the Second World War. Following his death in 1969 the farm was sold and my parents Ted and Zena Barten acquired the gardens, which I inherited.

Location

Waterham, Hernhill, Nr Faversham,Kent ME13 9JH, Tel: 01227 751245

Rotation

The main concept of rotation is that acreage is only cropped four years of every nine. For the first four years land is laid to grass that is grazed by sheep. This helps the fertility of the land. The rotation continues with potatoes being planted in year five, followed by brassicas (cabbage) in year six. In year seven small crops such as runner beans, sweetcorn, courgettes etc are planted. The land then lays fallow for a further year to help rebuild fertility. The cycle of rotation ends with a further year of potatoes before going back to grass for four years.

The use of this rotational program allows farmyard manure to be used. This enables me to significantly reduce the use of chemical fertilizer. It also promotes strong healthy plant growth and reduces the need for intensive spray programs.

Mallards Farm plums

Waste

I pride myself on being environmentally aware and ensure that whenever possible farmyard waste is recycled. Green waste is fed to the sheep or composted. Waste oil is collected for recycling. Apart from the recyclable plastic punnets used in the shop, as a matter of principle, I will not use plastic on the farm, either in the form of poly-tunnels or as an aid to growing earlier crops or increasing yields.

Opening Times

Monday – Saturday 08:00 – 17:30

Sunday 09:00 – 16:30

Bank Holiday 10:00 – 16:00

Please note that these times may on occasion be adjusted due to workload or weather. I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

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8 Responses to Mallards Farm

When I visited the farm on Sunday I picked up your receipe on curried runner beans,
I also had a taster and like it. I cooked the receipe with a slight change and had this with pork sausages for my tea, wonderful, my only change was to use creme fresh to make it a little creamier.
Thanks for showing us around the farm, we will be seeing you again soon.
The wilja potatoes were delicious.

I stopped by Mallard Farm this weekend on my way to Whitstable from London. Met with Alistair, who took the time to tell me all about his farm and crops and treated me to one of the most refreshing and interesting conversations I have had recently.

Of course, the best part of my visit was what I took away: incredible asparagus, strawberries, potatoes, purple sprouting broccoli and duck eggs. All are absolutely exquisite.

I would strongly recommend taking the opportunity to visit Mallard Farm if you’re in the area. Places like this are becoming more and more rare, as is food of the exceptional quality that Alistair produces. I can only hope that he continues to educate people about the perilous state of farming in the UK and convinces them to eat well and smart from local farms. I will most certainly be back (hopefully to get the full tour of the farm) and you would be well-advised to make your first visit, if you haven’t already.

We are from the USA and visited Mallards Farms last March. We bought a jar of your beetroot chutney and love it, but alas, we finished it. Do you ship your preserved products to the USA? Or would it be possible to have the recipe so we can try to replicate it at home? Thank you very much. Karen and Paul